Iceland becomes fifth country to boycott Eurovision 2026 over Israeli participation

Iceland's national broadcaster says it will boycott next year's Eurovision Song Contest because of discord over Israel's participation.

It will join four other countries in a walkout from the international music competition.

Broadcasters in Spain, the Netherlands, Ireland and Slovenia told contest organiser the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) last week that they would not take part in the contest in Vienna in May due to organisers refusing to expel Israel over its conduct during the war in Gaza.

The board of Iceland's RÚV, which is the country's public broadcaster, held a meeting on Wednesday to make a decision on the matter.

At its conclusion, the broadcaster said in a statement that "given the public debate in this country … it is clear that neither joy nor peace will prevail regarding the participation of RÚV in Eurovision. It is therefore the conclusion of RÚV to notify the EBU today that RÚV will not take part in Eurovision next year."

"The Song Contest and Eurovision have always had the aim of uniting the Icelandic nation but it is now clear that this aim cannot be achieved and it is on these program-related grounds that this decision is taken," the broadcaster said.

Last week the general assembly of the EBU — a group of public broadcasters from 56 countries that runs Eurovision — met to discuss concerns about Israel's participation.

Members voted to adopt tougher contest voting rules in response to allegations that Israel manipulated the vote in favour of its competitor, but took no action to exclude any broadcaster from the competition.

The pullouts included some big names in the Eurovision world, including Spain, which is one of the "Big Five" large-market countries that contribute the most to the contest, and Ireland, which has won seven times — a record it shares with Sweden.

Iceland, a volcanic North Atlantic island nation with a population of 360,000, has never won but has the highest per capita viewing audience of any country.

The walkouts have cast a cloud over the future of what is meant to be a feel-good cultural party marked by friendly rivalry and disco beats, dealing a blow to fans, broadcasters and the contest's finances.

The contest, which turns 70 in 2026, strives to put pop before politics, but has repeatedly been embroiled in world events. Russia was expelled in 2022 after its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

It has been roiled by the war in Gaza for the past two years, stirring protests outside the venues and forcing organisers to clamp down on political flag-waving.

Greens Party calls for Australia to withdraw

In a statement last week, Australia's Greens Party called for the federal government to support an Australian withdrawal from Eurovision 2026 because of the EBU's decision to allow Israel to compete in the competition.

"In the face of apartheid and genocide, cultural boycotts have been proven to have power and be a force for justice and change. This history needs to be remembered now and applied to the struggle for a Free Palestine," the statement said.

"Eurovision banned Russia for war crimes but rolls out the red carpet for Israel while Palestinian children are still starving, bombs are still falling and cities lay destroyed."

Greens senator David Shoebridge questioned why Eurovision had banned Russia in the past but would not ban Israel.

"The International Court of Justice is investigating Israel for genocide," he said.

"We should not be asking Australians to sing alongside a regime that has committed such appalling crimes."

He added: "History shows us that cultural boycotts work."

"Artists and athletes refusing to perform in apartheid South Africa helped bring down that brutal regime," Senator Shoebridge said in a statement.

"It's a simple fact that our participation in Eurovision 2026 legitimises Israel's atrocities."

Opponents of Israel's participation cite the war in Gaza, where more than 70,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry and whose detailed records are viewed as generally reliable by the international community.

Israel's government has repeatedly defended its campaign as a response to Hamas's attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.

Militants led by Hamas killed about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took 251 people hostage.

A number of experts, including those commissioned by a UN body, have said that Israel's offensive in Gaza amounts to genocide, a claim Israel has vigorously denied.

Wednesday was the final day for national broadcasters to announce whether they planned to participate.

More than two dozen countries have confirmed they will have entrants in the contest in Vienna. The EBU said a final list of competing nations would be published before Christmas.

AP/ABC